Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “high resolution spectroscopy”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 487 records · Page 27

Signatures of Weyl Fermion Annihilation in a Correlated Kagome Magnet

The manipulation of topological states in quantum matter is an essential pursuit of fundamental physics and next-generation quantum technology. Here we report the magnetic manipulation of Weyl fermions in the kagome spin-orbit semimetal Co 3 Sn 2 S 2 , observed by high-resolution photoemission spectroscopy. We demonstrate the exchange collapse of spin-orbit-gapped ferromagnetic Weyl loops into paramagnetic Dirac loops under suppression of the magnetic order. We further observe that topological Fermi arcs disappear in the paramagnetic phase, suggesting the annihilation of exchange-split Weyl points. In conclusion, our findings indicate that magnetic exchange collapse naturally drives Weyl fermion annihilation, opening new opportunities for engineering topology under correlated order parameters.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Controlling magnetism and transport at perovskite cobaltite interfaces via strain-tuned oxygen vacancy ordering

Complex oxides such as perovskite cobaltites exhibit rich phenomena at interfaces due to the complex interplay between their structural, defect, electronic, and magnetic degrees of freedom. Here, we study this interplay here in the ferromagnetic metallic cobaltite La 1−𝑥 ⁢Sr 𝑥⁢ CoO 3−𝛿 , using specific substrates to vary both the heteroepitaxial strain (compressive vs tensile) and growth orientation ((001) vs (110)). Transmission electron microscopy, electron energy-loss spectroscopy, high-resolution X-ray diffraction, magnetometry, polarized neutron reflectometry, and electronic magnetotransport measurements are applied. Lattice mismatch and growth orientation are found to enable the precise control of interfacial oxygen vacancy ordering in La 1−𝑥⁢ Sr 𝑥 ⁢CoO 3−𝛿 , thus dictating strain relaxation and oxygen vacancy depth profiles, in turn controlling thickness-dependent magnetic and electronic properties. In particular, compressive strain and (110) orientations minimize deleterious magnetic/electronic dead layer effects, leading to the optimization of interfacial magnetism and transport. Strain and orientation tuning of oxygen vacancy ordering are thus established as powerful means to control physical properties at cobaltite-based interfaces, relevant to several fields.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Method for boosting dispersive spectrograph stability 1000× using interferometry with crossfaded pairs of delays

We demonstrate a key step along a technical route to achieving cm/s scale accuracy for astronomical spectrographs over long (multi-year) time scales, which is critical for the Doppler characterization of Earth sized exoplanets, and measurement of small cosmic redshift drift over many years. This same technique also enables searching exoplanet atmospheres for biosignificant molecules in direct planet imaging using, otherwise, insufficiently low resolution and drift prone dispersive (grating or prism) spectrographs. Using a method called crossfading for externally dispersed interferometers (EDIs) to get highly robust spectra, we recently demonstrated a factor of 1000 x reduction in the net shift of an EDI measured ThAr line to a deliberate simulated wavelength translation of the detector. This 1000 x gain in disperser stability can be combined with conventional stability gains afforded by fiber scramblers, vacuum tanks, and thermal control, to provide an additional 1 to 3 orders of magnitude reduction in the net point spread function shift drift. Crossfading combines high- and low-delay fringing signals that react oppositely in phase to cancel their net reaction to a detector wavelength drift. This can be implemented by an interferometer addition to a facility spectrograph.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Measuring aerosol collection efficiency for the Bladewerx “New Speclon TM 5” and the older “Speclon TM 5” filter

Bladewerx TM LLC (Rio Rancho, NM) manufactures instrumentation, neutron shielding and activation foils for the radiation protection industry. Specializing in portable alpha/beta air monitors and sample counters, Bladewerx is the source of Speclon TM PTFE filter media that they recommend for high-resolution alpha spectroscopy. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) utilizes Speclon TM filter material in CAM (Continuous Air Monitor) samplers for workplace air monitoring. The LANL Aerosol Engineering Facility received air filter material from Bladewerx, referred to as “New Speclon 5” in this document, in order to distinguish from filter material that was previously received (referred to as “Speclon 5” in this document). In this document, the aerosol collection efficiency and airflow resistance (pressure drop) were measured for the New Speclon 5 filter material.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

A summary of air sampler filter performance data: Bladewerx Speclon 5(TM) and Millipore FMLW047 5um

Bladewerx™ LLC (Rio Rancho, NM) manufactures instrumentation, neutron shielding and activation foils for the radiation protection industry. Specializing in portable alpha/beta air monitors and sample counters, Bladewerx is the source of Speclon 5™ PTFE filter media that they recommend for high-resolution alpha spectroscopy. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) utilizes Speclon™ filter material in CAM (Continuous Air Monitor) samplers for workplace air monitoring. Millipore FMLW (5μm) filters are also used at Los Alamos, and a comparison of the two filter types has been requested. For filter face air velocities from 0.066 m/s to 1.5 m/s, the aerosol collection efficiency (for 0.3 μm particle diameters) and the filter pressure drops were measured. The FWHM (full width half maximum) of alpha spectroscopy peaks was also determined, using naturally occurring radon progeny at an alpha energy of 6 MeV.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

Detailed Abundances in the Ultra-faint Magellanic Satellites Carina II and III

We present the first detailed elemental abundances in the ultra-faint Magellanic satellite galaxies Carina II (Car II) and Carina III (Car III). With high-resolution Magellan/MIKE spectroscopy, we determined the abundances of nine stars in Car II, including the first abundances of an RR Lyrae star in an ultra-faint dwarf galaxy (UFD), and two stars in Car III. The chemical abundances demonstrate that both systems are clearly galaxies and not globular clusters. The stars in these galaxies mostly display abundance trends matching those of other similarly faint dwarf galaxies: enhanced but declining [α/Fe] ratios, iron-peak elements matching the stellar halo, and unusually low neutron-capture element abundances. One star displays a low outlying [Sc/Fe] = −1.0. We detect a large Ba scatter in Car II, likely due to inhomogeneous enrichment by low-mass asymptotic giant branch star winds. The most striking abundance trend is for [Mg/Ca] in Car II, which decreases from +0.4 to −0.4 and indicates clear variation in the initial progenitor masses of enriching core-collapse supernovae. So far, the only UFDs displaying a similar [Mg/Ca] trend are likely satellites of the Large Magellanic Cloud. We find two stars with [Fe/H] ≤ −3.5 whose abundances likely trace the first generation of metal-free Population III stars and are well fit by Population III core-collapse supernova yields. An appendix describes our new abundance uncertainty analysis that propagates line-by-line stellar parameter uncertainties.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Atmospheric Temperature Inversions and He ι 5876 Core Profile Structure in White Dwarfs

Here we report distinctive core profiles in the strongest optical helium line, He ι λ5876, from high-resolution high-sensitivity observations of spectral type DB white dwarfs. By analyzing a sample of 40 stars from Keck/HIRES and VLT/UVES, we find the core appearance to be related to the degree of hydrogen and heavy element content in the atmosphere. New Ca K-line measurements or upper limits are reported for about half the sample stars. He ι λ5876 emission cores with a self-reversed central component are present for those stars with relatively low hydrogen abundance, as well as relatively low atmospheric heavy element pollution. This self-reversed structure disappears for stars with higher degrees of pollution and/or hydrogen abundance, giving way to a single absorption core. From our model atmospheres, we show that the self-reversed emission cores can be explained by temperature inversions in the upper atmosphere. We propose that the transition to a single absorption core is due to the additional opacity from hydrogen and heavy elements that inhibits the temperature inversions. Our current models do not exactly match the effective temperature range of the phenomenon or the amplitude of the self-reversed structure, which is possibly a result of missing physics such as 3D treatment, convective overshoot, and/or non-LTE effects. The He ι λ5876 line structure may prove to be a useful new diagnostic for calibrating temperature profiles in DB atmosphere models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Discovery of Beryllium in White Dwarfs Polluted by Planetesimal Accretion

The element beryllium is detected for the first time in white dwarf stars. This discovery in the spectra of two helium-atmosphere white dwarfs was made possible only because of the remarkable overabundance of Be relative to all other elements, heavier than He, observed in these stars. The measured Be abundances, relative to chondritic, are by far the largest ever seen in any astronomical object. We anticipate that the Be in these accreted planetary bodies was produced by spallation of one or more of O, C, and N in a region of high fluence of particles of MeV or greater energy.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

X-Ray Performance of Critical-angle Transmission Grating Prototypes for the Arcus Mission

Arcus is a proposed Explorer Class soft X-ray grating spectrometer. It aims to explore cosmic feedback by mapping hot gases within and between galaxies and galaxy clusters and characterizing jets and winds from supermassive black holes and to investigate the dynamics of protoplanetary disks and stellar accretion. Arcus features 12 m focal-length grazing-incidence silicon pore optics (SPO) developed for the Athena mission. Critical-angle transmission (CAT) gratings efficiently disperse high diffraction orders onto CCDs. We report new and improved X-ray performance results for Arcus-like CAT gratings, including a record resolving power for two coaligned CAT gratings. Multiple Arcus prototype grating facets were illuminated by an SPO at the PANTER facility. The facets consist of 32 × 32.5 mm 2 patterned silicon membranes, bonded to metal frames. The bonding angle is adjusted according to the measured average tilt angle of the grating bars in the membrane. Two simultaneously illuminated facets show a minor broadening of the Al-K α doublet in the 18th and 21st orders with the best-fit record effective resolving power of ${R}_{G}\approx {1.3}_{-0.5}^{+\infty }\times {10}^{4}$ (3σ), about three to four times the Arcus requirement. We measured the diffraction efficiency of quasi-fully illuminated gratings at O-K wavelengths in orders 4–7 in an Arcus-like configuration and compare results with synchrotron spot measurements. After corrections for geometrical effects and bremsstrahlung continuum, we find agreement between full and spot illumination at the two different facilities, as well as with the models used for Arcus effective area predictions. We find that these flight-like gratings meet the diffraction efficiency and greatly exceed the resolving power Arcus requires.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The DECam MAGIC Survey: Spectroscopic Follow-up of the Most Metal-poor Stars in the Distant Milky Way Halo *

In this work, we present high-resolution spectroscopic observations for six metal-poor stars with [Fe/H] < –3 (including one with [Fe/H] < –4), selected using narrowband Ca ii HK photometry from the DECam MAGIC Survey. The spectroscopic data confirm the accuracy of the photometric metallicities and allow for the determination of chemical abundances for 16 elements, from carbon to barium. The program stars have chemical abundances consistent with the [Fe/H] < –3 range. A kinematic/dynamical analysis suggests that all program stars belong to the distant Milky Way halo population (heliocentric distances 35 < d helio /kpc ≲ 55), including three with high-energy orbits that might have been associated with the Magellanic system and one, J0026−5445, having parameters consistent with being a member of the Sagittarius stream. The remaining two stars show kinematics consistent with the Gaia-Sausage/Enceladus dwarf galaxy merger. J0433−5548, with [Fe/H] = –4.12, is a carbon-enhanced ultra metal-poor star, with [C/Fe] = +1.73. This star is believed to be a bona fide second-generation star, and its chemical abundance pattern was compared with yields from metal-free supernova models. Results suggest that J0433−5548 could have been formed from a gas cloud enriched by a single supernova explosion from an ∼11 M ⊙ star in the early Universe. The successful identification of such objects demonstrates the reliability of photometric metallicity estimates, which can be used for target selection and statistical studies of faint targets in the Milky Way and its satellite population. These discoveries illustrate the power of measuring chemical abundances of metal-poor Milky Way halo stars to learn more about early galaxy formation and evolution.

CEMP stars↗

XRISM Forecast for the Coma Cluster: Stormy, with a Steep Power Spectrum

The XRISM Resolve microcalorimeter array measured the velocities of hot intracluster gas at two positions in the Coma galaxy cluster: ${3}^{{\prime} }\times {3}^{{\prime} }$ squares at the center and at 6$^{\prime} $ (170 kpc) to the south. We find the line-of-sight velocity dispersions in those regions to be σ z = 208 ± 12 km s −1 and 202 ± 24 km s −1 , respectively. The central value corresponds to a 3D Mach number of M = 0.24 ± 0.015 and a ratio of the kinetic pressure of small-scale motions to thermal pressure in the intracluster plasma of only 3.1% ± 0.4%, at the lower end of predictions from cosmological simulations for merging clusters like Coma, and similar to that observed in the cool core of the relaxed cluster A2029. Meanwhile, the gas in both regions exhibits high line-of-sight velocity differences from the mean velocity of the cluster galaxies, Δv z = 450 ± 15 km s −1 and 730 ± 30 km s −1 , respectively. A small contribution from an additional gas velocity component, consistent with the cluster optical mean, is detected along a sight line near the cluster center. The combination of the observed velocity dispersions and bulk velocities is not described by a Kolmogorov velocity power spectrum of steady-state turbulence; instead, the data imply a much steeper effective slope (i.e., relatively more power at larger linear scales). This may indicate either a very large dissipation scale, resulting in the suppression of small-scale motions, or a transient dynamic state of the cluster, where large-scale gas flows generated by an ongoing merger have not yet cascaded down to small scales.

coma cluster↗

Comparing XRISM Cluster Velocity Dispersions with Predictions from Cosmological Simulations: Are Feedback Models Too Ejective?

The dynamics of the intracluster medium (ICM), the hot plasma that fills galaxy clusters, are shaped by gravity-driven cluster mergers and feedback from supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in the cluster cores. XRISM measurements of ICM velocities in several clusters offer insights into these processes. We compare XRISM measurements for nine galaxy clusters (Virgo, Perseus, Centaurus, Hydra-A, PKS 0745–19, A2029, Coma, A2319, and Ophiuchus) with predictions from three state-of-the-art cosmological simulation suites, TNG-Cluster, the Three Hundred Project GADGET-X, and GIZMO-SIMBA, that employ different models of feedback. In cool cores, XRISM reveals systematically lower velocity dispersions than the simulations predict, with all 10 measurements below the median simulated values by a factor of 1.5–1.7 on average and all falling within the bottom 10% of the predicted distributions. The observed kinetic-to-total pressure ratio is also lower, with a median value of 2.2%, compared to the predicted 5.0%–6.5% for the three simulations. Outside the cool cores and in non-cool-core (NCC) clusters, simulations show better agreement with XRISM measurements, except for the outskirts of the relaxed, cool-core cluster A2029, which exhibits an exceptionally low kinetic pressure support (<1%), with none of the simulated systems in either of the three suites reaching such low levels. The NCC Coma and A2319 exhibit dispersions at the lower end but within the simulated spread. Our comparison suggests that the three numerical models may overestimate the kinetic effects of SMBH feedback in cluster cores. Additional XRISM observations of NCC clusters will clarify if there is a systematic tension in the gravity-dominated regime as well.

galaxy clusters↗

Hyperfine Splitting and Nuclear Spin Polarization in NdPd 5 Al 2 and Nd 3 Pd 20 Ge 6

Here the hyperfine splitting of Nd nuclei in NdPd 5 Al 2 was studied by means of high-resolution neutron spectroscopy. We observed inelastic peaks at ℏω = ±3 µeV and T = 0.3 K, originating from the hyperfine splitting in the magnetically ordered phase owing to the hyperfine interactions between Nd nuclei (I = 7/2) and the 4f electrons with the Γ 6 ground state composed of mainly |±9/2$\rangle$. At very low temperatures, the nuclear spin of Nd is polarized with an increasing occupation probability of low energy levels and contributes to the enhancement of the antiferromagnetic Bragg intensities; the elastic non-spin-flip channel is dominant. As an application of this phenomenon, we determined the Nd moment and hyperfine splitting from the temperature dependence of an antiferromagnetic Bragg intensity for Nd 3 Pd 20 Ge 6 .

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗